The Spirit King
by Ichigeki
Summary: "No one stands on the top of the world. Not you, not me, not even gods. But the unbearable vacancy of the throne in the sky is over. From now on...I will be sitting on it."   /   "Let them in, all who seek it's grandeur shall find it, vacant and waiting."


The Spirit King

1 - Indemnity

There was pure untainted silence, as there usually was at that time. The vacancy of the Kings Castle was ancient in itself, and most of it's contents remained untouched, as they were since their creation. There was a grand entrance hall that stretched on for hundreds of yards. Endless corridors, and majestic rooms of unknown purposes. It was said that the castle could house 100,000 occupants, each having their own private quarters, bathrooms and other amenities neccesary for a rich and comforting lifestyle. The few that have been granted entrance, say that even it's most modest of furniture would put to shame the finest of the Kuchiki Household. It'sgrandeur was crafted to be fitting of the gods, and one would find it difficult to argue otherwise. In the eye of observer, it would seem the castle was crafted to host the grandest of parties, fulfilling the desires of a great multitude. The truth was, the castle had a very precise reason for it's existence. One that had been decided on before the creation of the realm itself. It's purpose was grim and blunt. The 100,000 who occupy this castle would be the last living beings.

In the case of the destruction of the Soul Society, and earth itself. The castle was made to withstand an implosion of the realms, or a massive event that would cause an irreversible deterioration of them.

It was nothing more than a glorified bomb shelter.

The few who knew of it's purpose, were those who stand guard, and the one who is responsible for it's creation and resides within it. The Spirit King.

The great all-encompassing being who's power is so massive it cannot define it's own form, or rather, it doesn't need to. It has existed longer as anyone can remember, and discloses it's wisdom to a small number:

The Royal Guard, who then relay it's orders to the Central 46.

Little is known about the Royal Guard's whereabouts, and rarely do they intervene in the affairs of the lesser Dimensions.

Unfortunately, a rare case has risen, and their lack of intervention would be fatal negligence on the part of the Spirit King Himself.

Soul Society - Underground Prison: 8th Level, "Muken"

Aizen Sosuke had been in his prison for 12 hours.

Half a day of lowly impotency.

He was bound by the strongest means conceivable compliments of the Captain General himself. held in place by black bands, which not even a captain level shinigami could hope to remove, without the aid of several other high ranking officers. His eyes and mouth were also bound, to his utmost annoyance, keeping him from being visually aware of his surroundings or making any sound. The black bands holding him were designed to negate any efforts to remove them by the person bound. They simply reflected his movement, holding him hostage to his own attempts of escape. It would simply be impossible to physically remove them alone. These bands were also designed to repel his reiryoku and expel any outside reiryoku.

In theory, he had no means of escaping by himself, no means of using a technique, due to not having the required reiryoku to do so, and his prison was under constant surveillance, preventing any room for an outside force to intervene. In theory, It was the ideal prison.

Aizen felt his anger begin to rise again for the 20th time.

_**Where in all of the tainted history of this realm, does it seem feasible to successfully bind an immortal being? Do they not understand that every effort they have to contain me will be crushed by infinity? I am beyond the comprehension of history. Their inevitably feeble life span will dwindle, and their lineage will fall and deteriorate, just as the very constraints that bind me. I have ascended past all repercussions of failure.**_

_**This is a minor set back, Kisuke.**_

Despite being cut off from all interaction in the Soul Society, there was a certain presence Aizen could distinctly discern from around him. He had felt it not long after he was left in his cell, and since then it had remained. This was concerning, due to the fact that this presence didn't seem to have any spiritual energy. The senses that were disturbed by this thing, led Aizen to believe that it was not deployed by the Soul Society, meaning, it's purpose was completely unknown.

_"It is quite amusing..."_ said a voice, piercing the silence of his prison. _"To see you in such a state, Sosuke-kun. I can't say I'm not enjoying this."  
><em>  
>Aizen knew immediately whom the voice belonged to, although, he was more concerned with how the person entered this prison, let alone, this realm. It was a female voice belonging to an acquaintance of his from many years ago. One whom he'd shared a rather unique relationship with. Being unable to speak, he could only listen and hope for some explanation of her presence.<p>

_"anyhow..." _

The woman spoke again, this time, in a calm, almost rehearsed, manor.

"_Your recent ventures have sparked the attention of the Royal Guard. It has been deemed that you are no longer worthy of remaining in this realm, and you will be relocated to a more stable place of punishment. Let it be known that the Officials of the Soul Society have been notified. You are now under the custody of the Royal Guard."  
><em>  
>The moment she finished speaking, he felt his environment change, rapidly. The rigid cold air, was now indiscriminate. The lighting went from a metallic darkness, to a tolerable lamp-lit glow. His bindings had been removed, and his sight returned. Looking around, it appeared he was in some sort of modern western bedroom. There were so many unnecessary amenities, such as a rocking chair, an oversized bed, small sofa, a large TV, which would have been very expensive in the human world, an exquisite looking dresser, a matching nightstand, and many other earthly comforts. Aizen's sight rested on the large oval mirror beside the dresser.<p>

_"What...is this?"_Aizen growled, glaring at his reflection. He turned to his side just as the female stepped into view beside him. He looked down at the woman, who was already eyeing him with a playful smile on her face.

_"It's you, in your purest state."_the woman remarked, studying the reflections in the mirror. The image portrayed a young Aizen Sosuke during his early days in the Soul Academy.

_"That is incorrect,"_ Aizen said, glaring at the image. _"Ones purest state is at birth. This is merely me in my-"  
><em>  
><em>"-It's the first time, we met, Sosuke-kun."<em> The woman interrupted. _"This is the purest that I remember you. It's MY mirror."_

The image suddenly changed, revealing Aizens current state, his black sclera'd eyes gazing back at him, piercingly.

The woman shook her head sadly as she made her way to the queen sized bed.

_"I don't have much time, so I will briefly explain your current predicament."_  
><em><br>"Don't you think it would be best to explain how you've come to reside in the kings realm-"_

_"-I don't have time for that now, Aizen"_the woman said, interrupting him again as she sat on the edge of the bed. The woman crossed her legs and straightened out her dress, paying little attention to Aizen's annoyance with her cutting him off.

_"You have been taken into custody by me, personally. You really don't understand how beneficial that is to you, but understand you owe me one. In compliance with the laws of the Royal guard, prisoners must be contained, which you are. In my room. These walls are impenetrable, by means that even I don't have a full grasp on. Let's just say, it exceeds any methods central 46 could have possibly concocted 100 times over."_

Aizen gave the woman a doubtful expression that caused the woman to roll her eyes at him

_"Yes, that means there is no escape, Aizen. This was all at my request. You see, originally, you were to be placed in a compound MUCH less comforting than the one you were just transported from. I wont ask for a thank you, but you will repay me for this. I have somewhat of a high standing with His Majesty, and I was allowed the freedom to make this high level decision. Your sentence will be carried out in it's entirety, under my watchful eye."_

Aizen smiled condescendingly, tilting his head slightly at the woman.  
><em><br>"I am flattered that you still have feelings for me, so much so, that you felt it necessary to imprison me in your very own bedroom. Couldn't you have placed me in another room?"_

"_No." _The woman responded simply. Challenging Aizen's gaze with a stern look. Aizen nodded in response, taking a seat on the rocking chair.

Aizen studied the woman, serenely.

She was just as he remembered her. Long brown wavy hair held in a pony tail, long bangs accenting her face on either side, deep auburn eyes, temptingly luscious lips, ivory skin and a shapely body. Her beauty was undeniable, and tasteful. She reminded him of just how long it had been since he had enjoyed the female anatomy for himself, and he had fond memories of his nightly encounters with the woman.

"_Not a chance in hell, Aizen."_The woman said, noticing Aizen's eyes seem to have rested on her chest.

"_It wasn't your physical appearance that held my attention, you do know that, don't you?"_  
>Aizen said in response. The woman continued to stare at him blankly, pursing her lips.<p>

Aizen's expression turned to a malicious grin.

"_I was always interested in how adept you were at getting what you wanted consistently and masterfully. You managed to deceive so many, and never once showed outwardly how conflicted you really were. Using an impressive combination of seduction and wit, you were able to win the heart of not one, but two high ranking officers, in an astoundingly short amount of time."_

_"The heart know's what it wants."_ The woman said simply.

Aizen chuckled.

"_The heart is nothing more than a component of a the body, who's function is far from anything emotionally related. But the mind, as in this case, can emulate feelings of something more complex than we can bring into our own level of comprehension. 'Love', it's one of the most constant of these complex feelings which we incorrectly define."_

"_Do you believe any of the nonsense that comes out of your mouth?"_ The woman said, exasperated. _"Honestly, you can ramble on about anything, if someone stuck around long enough to listen to it all. You've always been a fan of long winded lectures, it's aggravating."_

Aizen's grin widened as he spoke. _"Did it bother you so much, that even after you triumphed over me, you couldn't gloat? You found your entrance into the Kings Realm, and saw that you were not prepared for it's solitude?"  
><em>  
>The woman stood up immediately, glaring at Aizen.<p>

"_Time is not the same here, you fool. A day could pass in your realm and it would have been a decade here! I waited, Aizen. For too long... For YOU to show up at the gates, and join me. What did I find? You were captured and locked away in some hole by a band of barbaric fools and their senile, jaded old commander."_

Aizen laughed maniacally, causing her to become even more frustrated.  
><em>"Do you know why it took me so long? Do you even understand the efforts I went through?"<em>

The woman didn't respond, and simply avoided his gaze.

"_Ah, so it is true then. You arent able to see anything that goes on in the other realms. You are wholly powerless. Understand this. I did not simply want to enter the Kings Realm. If that was so I could have done so many years ago. I want more than just occupancy in heaven. I want the throne."_

_"You failed."_the woman muttered.

_"It would appear that way, but, do you understand that I am immortal? I am now a God. No event can stop me anymore. Even though I was patient, my greatest enemy was time, and I have conquered that."_

Aizen stood up from the rocking chair and walked towards the mirror once again.

_"It's interesting that you have been so negligent, even to the point where you were not aware that you are indirectly responsible for my delayed arrival."_

The woman looked at him, questioningly. _"What is that supposed to mean?"_

Aizen continued to study the mirror in front of him.

_"It means, after all our planning together, the faked deaths, our vow to ascend into heaven and develope our own laws..."_

Aizen turned to the woman, his eyes narrowed in a dark piercing gaze.

"_Your very own son was responsible for my failure, Masaki Kurosaki."_

Tatsuki quickly made her way down the inconveniently convoluted streets of Karakura town. It was mid-afternoon, towards the end of summer vacation, and it was packed with tourists. This was due to a video recording being leaked onto the internet of Aizens invasion, two weeks ago. Apparently in one of the nearby homes, someone was filming Karakura skyline, and at this angle a man could be seen making a transformation into a seraphim, moving at high speeds, and slashing the air, vanishing from sight shortly after saying a few unintelligible words. The video was posted on several news sites and eventually got media coverage. It was made out to be some sort of Angelic sighting of a being from heaven. Needless to say, this drew the attention.

Tatsuki had recently discovered the truth behind the events Ichigo had been kind of enough to withhold from her. Everything was explained to her through Orihime, who had been struggling to keep anything a secret to begin with. On several occasions Orihime accidently made mention of the "Soul Society", and "Saving Rukia" a few months before she disappeared a second time, along with Chad, Uryu, and Ichigo. Tatsuki didn't make a big deal of it and avoided bringing anything up about it for as long as she could, but the events two weeks ago, had driven her to the edge. She came face to face with a man known as Aizen Sosuke, who seemed to be some sort of maniacal being determined to destroy Karakura Town. He even knew she was an acquaintance of Ichigo, and planned to kill her, in order to incite emotions from Ichigo.

Tatsuki's expression darkened.

_**Today is the day, Ichigo. I've procrastinated in doing this but...  
>I've let this go on long enough, And I am gonna' fix you.<br>I can't continue to feel guilty for what happened between us..**_

Tatsuki made her way around the street corner, fighting through the mobs of tourists, finally coming within distance of Ichigo's neiborhood.

_**Damnit... **_Tatsuki struggled with her thoughts, closing her eyes.

_**None of it should have happened.**_

4 Years ago...

_It was 7:34 PM, and the sun finally began to fall._

_Two childhood friends, had spent the hot summer afternoon together, enjoying the remnants of the last days of vacation, in each others company. A raven haired girl and Bright haired middle schooler could be seen in a small clearing of grass outside of the nearby residences._

_"Is that it?" Tatsuki exclaimed, nearly out of breath.  
><em>

_She shifted her weight to her right leg, and took off._

_Ichigo grinned, and side-stepped just as Tatsuki's fist was about to come into contact with his chest, causing her punch to catching nothing but the loose air under his shirt. _

_Ichigo took her outstretched arm and forced it behind her back._

"_Damnit!" Tatsuki growled, feeling herself lose control of her arm to Ichigo's grasp. reached back with her free arm and attempted to grab his neck, which severely backfired.  
><em>

_Ichigo leaned back and snatched at her wrist, grabbing it and pulling her free arm behind her._

_Ichigo laughed as Tatsuki struggled to free herself, wriggling helplessly under his control._

"_It's no use, Tat', I'm just too strong for ya' now."_

"_I can do this all day!" Tatsuki yelled, violently struggling to break free._

_Ichigo sighed, and stuck his foot around in front of Tatsuki's, causing her to fall forward. Just before she did, he wrapped his arms around her waste, holding her in the air. He was literally carrying her now, as her feet were not touching the grass.  
><em>

"_Let me go!" Tatsuki cried, struggling.  
><em>

"_Nah, I'll just hold you until you run out of energy!" Ichigo said laughing._

"_I hate you! When did you get so strong!" Tatsuki growled, hanging in mid air at ichigos side, in his arms. _

_She was being carried like a large piece of firewood._

_Ichigo began to laugh uncontrollably at how awkward she looked in his arms, hanging there._

"_St-Stop laughing!" Tatsuki yelled, fighting off her own laughter._

_Hearing her laugh caused Ichigo to laugh harder, making him double over, cracking up._

_His grip slackened and Tatsuki fell beside him. She quickly took the opportunity to gain an advantage, placing herself on his back, straddling him. _

"_Give up!" She said laughing, pushing the back of his head into the grass. _

_Ichigo was giggling loudly, not making any attempt to throw her off of him.  
><em>

"_It's funny, isn't it? How I always used to get my ass handed to me by you. Now look at us." Ichigo said chuckling, turning his head to the side._

"_It's bullshit... I hate when guys get all..manly..What's it called again?"_

"_Puberty, dumbass." Ichigo said._

"_Whatever."_

"_You think I'm manly, then?" Ichigo said, grinning._

"_Nah, you're still a wimp." Tatsuki responded, defiantly._

_Ichigo rolled, over to face up, though Tatsuki remain on top of him, still determined to hold a dominant position over him. _

_Tatsuki frowned at Ichigo, "You givin' up then?"_

_Ichigo didn't respond immediately, and only returned her gaze with a blank, almost confused look._

_Ichigo looked at Tatsuki for a moment, causing her to sneer back at him playfully. _

_Ichigo's gaze suddenly changed, and his demeanor became serious._

_He frowned up at Tatsuki, as her sneer slowly turned to a look of confusion._

"_I...Think you've gotten prettier..." Ichigo blurted out, awkwardly, turning his head from her as he blushed._

_Tatsuki's heart suddenly began pounding in her chest as his words sent a jolt through her. She quickly turned her head away from him, as her face grew bright red._

"_What the hell are you talkin' about..." Tatsuki mumbled, frowning down at the grass beside them. She shifted uncomfortably on top of him, still refusing to give up her position of power._

"_I...Like you, alot...Let's not fight anymore...And when we start high-school..." _

_Ichigo's voice trailed._

_The two remained there in a long drawn out silence, with only the breeze of the cooling summer dawn between them. _

_It was awkward enough having to deal with the silence, but her position on Ichigo only made it 10 times worse. _

_She suddenly felt Ichigo's hands on her back, pulling her into his chest. She lay there dumbstruck, becoming more and more aware of herself by each passing moment. The mood had changed so rapidly, she barely had time to register her own thoughts. She simply complied with Ichigo's non-verbal demands, and lay there on his chest as his arms encircled her._

"_I really like you, Tatsuki." Ichigo whispered to her._

"_uh...mm.." Tatsuki mumbled, unable to form coherent words._

_Her mind was racing with too many other thoughts. _

_It was as if a new world of awareness had awoken in her._

_**His cheek is against my cheek..**_

_**I can feel our hearts beating against each other..**_

_**I can feel the mass of his body against mind...Our stomachs contracting and expanding against each other..**_

_**The feeling of his skin rubbing against my skin...**_

_**I can feel the heat of his body...**_

_**I feel him between my thighs...**_

_**It's so hot down there...**_

_**Am I sweating too much?**_

_**Can he smell my body?**_

_**What if I have an odor?**_

_**I'm...Wet...**_

_**No...**_

"_Ichigo, people can see us..."_

"_Theres nobody around and-"_

"_-I feel weird.."_

"_I do too.."_

"_Ichigo, It feels-"_

_Tatsuki felt Ichigo turn his face towards her, his nose grazing hers as he did so. His hot breath met hers, generating a sensation that only caused her heart to beat even faster. _

"_I wanna'..." He whispered to her, leaving his words hanging._

"_Ichigo.." Tatsuki mumbled. _

_Ichigo leaned into Tatsuki, pressing his lips against hers. Tatsuki's lips anxiously met hit with equal enthusiasm, and willingly parted, allowing their tongues to meet, battling each other fiercely._

_Tatsuki let out a small moan, which seemed to incite Ichigo, _

_She felt Ichigo's hand slide down her back and rub on her backside, groping and fondling, excitedly._

_She also felt a pressure between her thighs begin to build, its form growing hard and pulsating. _

_**No... **_

_**This feels so good.**_

_**I don't want to stop him..**_

_**Is this sex?**_

_**I want him to...**_

_Tatsuki felt saliva build up in her mouth, and pour down the side of her chin. This didn't deter Ichigo at all, as he continued to slide his tongue against her own._

_**I want him to do it...**_

_**Am I a bad girl?**_

_**we're only in middle school...But.**_

_**I want to have sex with him right now.**_

_Tatsuki was aware she was losing the battle, but could not thwart herself from the pleasure she was feeling. She had seen it on TV and in movies, even heard older girls mention it in passing. But It was the first time she had become so uncontrollably aroused by anyone, and she was doing a pour job of hiding it._

_In fact, she was encouraging her arousal._

_She became aware that she was pulling ichigo's hand towards her own crotch, inside the lining of her skirt, implying she wanted much more._

_**I want to feel him there...So bad.**_

_Ichigo was now making his own way, moving his hands wrist deep into her skirt, finding her soft womanhood. _

"_ah!" Tatsuki cried out, suprised by the sensation emanating from herself. As ichigo began to rub her, she felt herself salivating profusely. Her pelvis began to move of it's own accord thrusting sporadicly, as if she was having some sort of seizure. This caused Ichigo to let out a sigh of pleasure, as her body rocked jerkily against him. She felt the pressure between her thighs become rock solid._

"_Mmph.. Mmph." Tatsuki muttered with each pelvic thrust, as she clinched the grass tightly with her free hand. Fighting the urge to cry out. _

_Ichigo suddenly pulled his hand from inside of Tatsuki's skirt. As his hand came into view, Tatsuki's eyes widened._

_His hand was covered in a silky wet substance, that caused ichigo to furrow his brow in confusion. _

_**That came from me?**_

_**That's sick...**_

_**What is that?..**_

_**It's so nasty!**_

"_No!" Tatsuki cried, lifting herself from ichigo._

"_Baka! Baka! Baka!" Tatsuki yelled. as she stood up, eyes watering._

_She looked around, noticing a group of students from her school approaching in the distance._

"_Tatsuki, I didn't-" Ichigo started, quickly getting to his feet._

_Tatsuki sobbed as she took off, sprinting towards her home._

"_Please, don't! Don't tell anyone, Tatsuki! Im sorry!" Ichigo yelled after her, the panic in his voice evident._

Tatsuki shoved her clinched fist deep into her jean pockets as she walked, scowling. Each time she replayed that moment in her life, it never failed to cause her to scowl. It was instinctive.

She hated that day to her core. It was like a dream that became a night terror, with the same constant intensity. She wanted to cry out in anger and smash her fists against something solid.

The memory of that day lodged itself deep within her soul, as one of the key character defining events that make individuals as they grow. It had the same intensity as a feeling someone who had been raped would carry. Someone who had seen someone they love die in front of them. Something powerful enough to warp her personality for years.

And it did.

But she had eventually learned to live her life normally, as well-rounded as she could.

**Ichigo...**

**I know what has been stopping you.. **

Tatsuki thought to herself sadly. She had replayed what she would say many times, wanting her words to be as unblemished and sincere as possible.

**Why you refuse to let your relationship with them grow intimate...**

**I'm sorry for that, Ichigo... It wasn't your fault. It was _our_ fault.**

**You don't have to punish yourself for this.. It was a mistake, and we were so naive..**

**You don't have to distance yourself from either of them, like you have been. **

**I know how they feel about you, because when they look at you, they share the same look in their eyes.**

**They want you to tell them what every girl wants to hear from a man they deeply care for. **

**They want you to take them into your arms and spill your heart out as is, unrehearsed and natural, awkward as it may be. **

**So please, forget about this and forgive me, because I hate to see you like this. **

**I like you alot, Ichigo. **

Tatsuki ran her hands through her long raven hair, slowing to a stop on the sidewalk.

She had resolved to confront him, today. She wanted the jolts of guilt that her heart felt when he came around to go away.

They had managed to avoid acknowledging that day for 4 years, as if it never happened.

Today, she would bring about the end of that cursed afternoon.

After all, it _was_ the anniversary.


End file.
